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Service:
Monday, October 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at
Quiram-Peasley Funeral Home in Atlanta.
Funeral home:
Quiram-Peasley Funeral Home, Atlanta
Obituary
Robert “Bob” E. Ernst,
83, of Atlanta, passed away at his home on Sunday,
October 11, 2026.
Funeral Services will be held at Quiram-Peasley
Funeral Home in Atlanta on Monday, October 19, 2026,
at 11:00 a.m. Mr. Ron Otto will officiate.
Burial will be at Waverly Cemetery in Waverly,
Illinois.
Robert Eugene Ernst was born April 21, 1943, in
Bloomington, Illinois, the son of Lawrence E. and
Dorothy M. Wiechman Ernst. He was united in marriage
to Donna Kay Keune on June 24, 1968. She survives.
Bob is also survived by one daughter, Diana (Chris
Walton) Harmon; two grandchildren: John (Laura)
Harmon and Cassidy Walton; two great-grandchildren:
Meya Harmon and Leo Harmon; and one brother, Larry
Ernst.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Bob was a 1961 graduate of Bloomington High School.
He met the love of his life, Donna, when she was
just 18 and staying at a boarding house on the ISU
campus while she attended school. His mother told
him there was a new girl living there and encouraged
him to go introduce himself – advice that changed
the course of his entire life. The moment he saw
her, he said it was “love at first sight” and from
that day on, they were rarely apart. They were
married on June 24, 1968, beginning more than 62
years of devotion, partnership, and a bond so steady
and deep that they remained inseparable for the rest
of his life.
Though his family was small, his love for each of us
was anything but. Like the 62 years he spent devoted
to his wife, he poured the same steady, wholehearted
love into his daughter, his two grandchildren, and
his two great-grandchildren. And in his later years,
he found a constant companion in his beloved dog,
Rocky, who was truly his very best friend in the
world.
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He was an avid St.
Louis Cardinals and Chicago Bears fan, rarely
missing a game and always cheering with unwavering
loyalty. Throughout his life, he found joy in
collecting everything, from baseball cards to Beanie
Babies, toothpick holders, and most of all, the
arrowheads he treasured so much. In his final years,
he discovered a new source of happiness in creating
handmade, one-of-a-kind, custom wreaths with his
daughter, a pastime that brought them both pride and
precious time together.
Even in the hardest moments recently, he never let
go of the light that made him who he was. No matter
the challenges he faced, he kept his sense of humor
close, offering a quick joke or gentle laugh. His
positive attitude did not waiver and his smile –
steady, warm, and unmistakably his – remained a
constant reminder of his strength. It was one of the
many ways he showed love; by choosing joy, even when
life made it difficult.
Final arrangements are entrusted with Quiram-Peasley
Funeral Home of Atlanta.
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